Trump’s Amerika

Be wary of paramilitaries. When the men with guns who have always claimed to be against the system start wearing uniforms and marching around with torches and pictures of a Leader, the end is nigh. When the pro-leader paramilitary and the official police and military intermingle, the end has come.

—Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny

From the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:

Kenosha Police said early Wednesday morning that two people had been shot and killed and a third injured during protests over the shooting of Jacob Blake; authorities were looking for a man armed with a long gun. Earlier Wednesday, Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that one victim had been shot in the head and another in the chest late Tuesday, just before midnight. Beth didn’t know where the other person was shot, but video posted on social media showed someone had been shot in the arm.

The incident occurred at about 11:45 p.m. in the area of 63rd Street and Sheridan Road, Kenosha police said. The release from the Kenosha Police Department said the injuries to the third individual were not life threatening. The release said the names, ages and cities of residence for the victims were still being determined.

The gunfire coincided with the arrival of some armed right-wing boogaloo militia types. From The Guardian:

Beth said people describing themselves as belonging to a militia had been patrolling Kenosha’s streets in recent nights but he did not know if the shooter was involved with such a group. “They’re a militia,” Beth told reporters. “They’re like a vigilante group.” The shootings were reported at about 11.45 pm in an area crowded with protesters supporting the Black Lives Matter movement calling for an end to police brutality and systemic racism across America.

Where the hell were your guys, sheriff? Armed militias roaming the streets? Where’s the National Guard?

Cellphone video of at least two of the shootings posted online showed what appears to be a white man with a semi-automatic rifle firing three or four shots from a prone position on the ground, hitting at least two people…Footage posted on social media showed chaotic scenes as gunfire rang out, scattering people in the street. One of the victims, a young shirtless white man with a red bandana around his neck, was seen receiving first aid in a car park after being shot in the head. In another image, a man sits on the ground with his arm almost severed by a gunshot wound…

Images of the rival group showed heavily armed white men, some wearing body armour. According to witness reports, the two groups had clashed as the night wore on, and police fired teargas and rubber bullets at demonstrators near Kenosha’s courthouse. Social media users posted a series of images including video that appeared to show the same individual – a young man – at key points during the confrontation, including interacting with police in a tactical vehicle who say they “appreciate” the alleged vigilantes’ help and give them bottled water.

Oh, that’s where they were.

If the cops are lining up with armed vigilantes, we’d all better start fireproofing the Reichstag.”